Bon-Ton April same-store sales decline 0.9 percent

Total sales for the four weeks ended May 3 fell 1 percent to $209.2 million.

Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key measure of retailer performance, because it measures growth at existing stores rather than from newly opened ones.

The company said April started out positively, but sales fell as "the retail environment remains challenging and traffic remains inconsistent," said Tony Buccina, vice chairman and president of merchandising, in a statement.

For the first quarter, same-store sales fell 4.6 percent, while total sales fell $5.1 percent to $700.2 million.